Photo by Collin Smith
Nathan Poss, front, and his business partner, Robert Konrad, perform a test of the geo-exchange system they installed at Clay Trevenen’s home. Together, Poss and Konrad own PK Geothermal, an Erie-based company that only installs geo-exchange heating and cooling systems.
Local man uses geo-exchange system for new home
Clay Trevenen, 39, smiles about possibilities as he looks out at 6,400 feet of high-density plastic coils laid out in a 7-foot deep pit next to his partially-built new home in Moffat County.
The coils are part of a geo-exchange heating and cooling system — also known as geothermal — that will help the environment.
But green energy wasn’t the focus.
What makes Trevenen smile is possibly saving $300 to $500 in utility costs each year.
“That’s more what I’m thinking about,” he said.
Trevenen’s home is one of the first in the county with a geo-exchange system.
The concept is simple, if the actual process is less so.
High-density coils are buried deep enough in the ground to be past the frost point in winter, where the ground is a consistent 55 degrees year-round. The constant temperature allows a chemical solution inside the coils to collect or dump heat.
A heat pump then either moves warmth from the coils into the home to heat it, or moves heat from the home and into the coils to cool it.
“You’re just taking the heat out of the ground and putting it in your house, or you’re taking the heat out of the house and putting into the ground,” Trevenen said.
Balance of article: Craig Daily Press
Nathan Poss, front, and his business partner, Robert Konrad, perform a test of the geo-exchange system they installed at Clay Trevenen’s home. Together, Poss and Konrad own PK Geothermal, an Erie-based company that only installs geo-exchange heating and cooling systems.
Local man uses geo-exchange system for new home
Clay Trevenen, 39, smiles about possibilities as he looks out at 6,400 feet of high-density plastic coils laid out in a 7-foot deep pit next to his partially-built new home in Moffat County.
The coils are part of a geo-exchange heating and cooling system — also known as geothermal — that will help the environment.
But green energy wasn’t the focus.
What makes Trevenen smile is possibly saving $300 to $500 in utility costs each year.
“That’s more what I’m thinking about,” he said.
Trevenen’s home is one of the first in the county with a geo-exchange system.
The concept is simple, if the actual process is less so.
High-density coils are buried deep enough in the ground to be past the frost point in winter, where the ground is a consistent 55 degrees year-round. The constant temperature allows a chemical solution inside the coils to collect or dump heat.
A heat pump then either moves warmth from the coils into the home to heat it, or moves heat from the home and into the coils to cool it.
“You’re just taking the heat out of the ground and putting it in your house, or you’re taking the heat out of the house and putting into the ground,” Trevenen said.
Balance of article: Craig Daily Press
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